The present invention relates to a modular underwater foil for a marine vessel of the type floating on water disposed completely below the waterline and extending in the port-starboard direction.
The engine power required for providing thrust to the marine vessel should be greater as the weight and resistance resulting from contact of the hull with water of the marine vessels is greater, which increases fuel consumption.
Hydrofoils are known to be used in order to reduce the resistance between the boat hull and water. Hydrofoils are often mounted at the bottom of marine vessel hull and typically on bow and stern. In such a case, the angle of attack of the hydrofoil cannot be changed dynamically by the user. Therefore, achieving a comfortable cruise by reducing the resistance between the marine vessel and water is not possible in relatively rough and stationary water conditions. Further to that, hydrofoils cannot function in very rough waters.
On the other hand, using foils below the hull of the marine vessel for reducing water resistance of the marine vessels of the type floating on water is known from the prior art. In fact, an underwater foil is disclosed in US Patent Publication No. 20130167766 filed by the patent owner of the present invention, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In said application, the angle of attack of the underwater foil has a dynamically changeable function and propellers are supported by the underwater foil.
An underwater foil can be produced in various lengths depending on the characteristics such as tonnage, speed and size of the marine vessel. For example, the underwater foil can be integrally produced in the form of a welded plate; in this case however, separate molds are needed for each foil of different length, which is costly. On the other hand, as the length of the foil increases, welding quality and strength decrease depending on the material and obtaining ideal foil profiles may not be achieved. In addition, delivery of the integral underwater foil from the production site to the assembly site is challenging.
Aforementioned drawbacks are avoided if an underwater foil can be produced in a modular manner.